Receive the latest popcornbiz updates in your inbox

Henry Cavill: "Superman" Will Be "Fantastic"

Henry Cavill chats about why he loves to play superheroes, including Theseus in "Immortals" and Superman in the "Man of Steel." Find out how this hero hunk got his eight pack abs. Plus, what does he think of the script for the "Man of Steel?" (Published Tuesday, March 4, 2014)

To borrow a phrase from a certain wall-crawling rival, Henry Cavill understands that with great power comes great responsibility.

The British actor, who is prepping to put on the most iconic cape in comic book history for director Zack Snyder's "Superman" reboot, knows that the role is more than just a big career boost.

Since accepting the role of the world’s most famous superhero, Cavill has largely remained coy about any specific details surrounding Snyder’s take on the character - but he did tell PopcornBiz that he was committed more to the role of Kal-El/Clark Kent than to the fame that inevitably comes with it.

“I'm treating it like I would treat anything,” says Cavill. “I love reading historical fiction and fantasy books, and if I got chosen to play those roles, I have such a connection with those characters that I have an in-depth knowledge of how they would be made into a real person. The opportunity is the same with Superman. It's absolutely fantastic because I've done all my reading and I'm really into the character.”

Comic-Con Star Power

“I think you can either choose to accept, to focus on the pressure – and therefore, ultimately what you're focusing on is the celebrity aspect of achieving the role, as opposed to looking at the lore and reading the stories and having the opportunity to bring that to moving life,” he adds. “I'm avoiding the acknowledgement of the pressure because that'll kill me in the end. If you're holding the weight of the world up, you've just got to focus on the little speck on the floor in front of you and think of that, and don't think of the world on your shoulders.”

Before “Man of Steel” hits theaters in 2013, audiences will see Cavill in action as an even more enduring legend: the Greek hero Theseus in director Tarsem Singh’s eye-popping “The Immortals.”

“As a kid you want to play the heroes,” Cavill admits. “What attracted me to Theseus was the fact that he was a hero with a slightly dark side. He was an angry hero and he wanted blood, and that's fun.”

Cavill says he’s pleased that the potential Superman audience will be introduced to him through “The Immortals” first, in hopes that they like what they see of him onscreen.

“It's ideal,” he explains. “I can't imagine it having happened more perfectly, to be honest. You get a slight introduction with what's going to be a great movie, and then during that introduction you get cast in something else which is going to be vast and very much attached to things like Comic-Con and Wonder-Con and all the rest. Yeah, it couldn't have happened more perfectly. I think it's a wonderful experience.”